LAYYAH: The Government Model Primary School of Chak 440 TDA, Choubara tehsil, has been closed for the last six months much to the chagrin of the parents who find it difficult to send their children to school.

Just like the condition of many other state-managed schools, this belies the claims of the Punjab government about investing in the education sector and endeavouring to enhance enrolment. The closure of school has deprived many students of education.

The school was established on April 16, 1976 by the then numberdar, Abdul Ghani, over two acre. The classes were conducted in few rooms until a proper building was constructed in 1987.

The building was upgraded and some new classrooms added first in 2002 and then in 2006. Besides, a 1,200-foot boundary wall was constructed in 2009-10 and it was declared a model primary school.

For the last six months or so, the school has been closed though the Education Management Information System (EMIS) code 32210186 is still available on the Punjab Education Department website. It shows regular visits of the school authorities and the district monitoring staff.

The latest visit, according to information, was undertaken on May 15, 2017 in which 100pc presence of teachers and 89.47pc presence of students was shown.

Speaking to Dawn, Amir Muhammad complained about the closure of the school and said many residents of the village had been forced to send their children to some other schools.

He said some parents preferred to send their school-going children to fields or do other menial works to augment their income.

Asked about the situation, Chief Executive Officer Education Ms Khalida Shaheen claimed that the school was “consolidated” in 2014-15 and merged with the local girls primary school. She said she would check why information about school working was regularly being uploaded on website.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2017